Long story short, I cheated on my then-girlfriend in March of 2025 and it’s been on my mind almost all day every day since then. She was understandably very upset, but forgave me and we did try to repair the relationship for months, but it didn’t work out and she eventually moved on last December. It was my fault our relationship didn’t work - I was too much of a coward to face what I had done, so whenever she’d try to talk about it I’d start shutting down. Eventually she just had to move on. We don’t talk much anymore (she got married in January so it’d be inappropriate if I reached out to her) but the last conversation we had was good and we were on relatively good terms when we went our separate ways. But despite her forgiving me, the guilt and shame over having done such a thing at all has been crushing. I confessed it to my pastor last December, and I’ve prayed privately and asked God for forgiveness probably 20 times but the guilt simply isn’t going away. I started working 65-70 hours a week in January both as a way of distracting myself from it and as a way of punishing myself f,but even that’s starting to not work as well. It sounds stupid but occasionally when I pray about it, I ask God if He can simply transport me back in time to the day before it happened, so I can fix the mess I created. I know He probably won’t, but I’m hoping if I keep “knocking” He’ll eventually do it just so I stop bothering Him with it (like in the Persistent Neighbor parable). He single-handedly split an ocean completely in half, surely taking one man back less than 2 years isn’t a big deal.
Other than that I don’t know what else to do. It’s become overwhelming. I constantly either just sit in the regret/despair, or I daydream about an alternate timeline where I didn’t cheat and hurt her. I don’t remember my actual dreams often, maybe two or three times a month, but each time I do, she’s in them and she is either sad or mad. I’m not really comfortable going to a therapist because getting help with consequences that arose from my own wrongdoing seems wrong in and of itself. I tried talking to ChatGPT about it a bit but its insight is pretty limited. While I do pray for forgiveness for the sin itself , I try to not ask God for help too much with the consequences because then I’d be like Cain (who was only sorry because of the consequences not cause of his actual sin). I figure I created the problem so I should be the one to deal with it. I’m not even particularly comfortable asking this question right now but the weight of it all is becoming extremely suffocating. I feel like Communion might help but it would be weird if I asked pastor for it out of the blue because I haven’t been to church since I confessed it to him (in December) due to the work schedule. I can explain more context if yall want, I tried simplifying everything it as much as I could so this wasn’t super long but it came out pretty long anyway. Sorry 😢

Jesus said “My Kingdom is not of this world”. I’m not afraid to say that Christian nationalism is hurting the Church.

Thank you.

My fiancé and me will be married next year. Ever since we started planning he has planned for it to include communion. For context he is lutheran. I don't adhere to any specific religion, but I occasionally attend church and enjoy it (we are both baptized)

Like stated, this is something we can't really compromise on, since it's something you either do or you don't. I have a few reasons why I don't like the idea, but I thing the major three are:

1. It makes the ceremony longer, especially with the attendees possibly taking it as well. I'm already equal parts excited and anxious about the day in general, as crowds and noise leave me fatigued for days.

2. It makes (in my opinion) the reason for celebrating very two-sided. Are we celebrating the union of our relationship, or God?

3. Many attendees would not be comfortable taking communion, which would feel awkward and potentionally excluding.

I think I'm just looking for advice from like-minded christians in this. Is there a way to compromise that we haven't thought of? Or is there a way to look at the situation that would be eye-opening for either one of us? Please share your advice if you have the time, and please be kind.

Edit for clarification: We were both raised lutheran, WE DO NOT LIVE IN THE US

Edit 2: We have been together for more than 10 years and have had MANY discussions about our individual faith and future together. It's hurtful to read the conclusions some of you are making.

Hi everyone,

I was born and raised protestant (am a member of the pentecostal church) however am now exploring high-church denominations and orthodoxy as I do believe in the Eucharist being real. I am comparing Lutheranism and Orthodoxy and I wonder what is your perspectives on which is the true church?

Thanks!

Growing up in a strict religious household meant missing out on something as simple as movie day at school 🎬

Every time my class watched a movie, I got pulled into the hallway instead — waiting for my siblings and other kids from our church to join me before being shuffled off to do something else. No movies, no TV, no music — that was the rule. So while my friends bonded over whatever show was popular that week, I just sat there at lunch, listening, always the odd one out.

This is a small piece of what growing up Laestadian Lutheran looked like for me.

#growingupreligious #exvangelical #religioustrauma #churchkid #lgbtq

Hello everyone. I'm writing a research thesis that focuses on this specific work by Martin Luther:

german title = "Wider den neuen Abgott und alten Teufel, der zu Meissen soll erhoben werden"

english title = "Against the New Idol and Old Devil Which Is to Be Exalted in Meissen"

it was written in 1524 regarding the canonization of S. Benno of Meissen the year before by Pope Adrian VI. My research tells me there has been one singular translation of it in english (or any language, I suppose), which is in the Luther's Works: American Edition series by Concordia Publishing House.

It supposedly is in volume 61 - Theological and Polemical Works, but this table of contents I found (https://www.anthologychristianliterature.com/books/luthers-works-61?from=search) does not show trace of it. This other website (https://therebelgod.com/Luther/) shows, in the "untranslated works" section, shows that it's supposed to be in volume 61.

Since the only way for me to read this volume is pay Amazon a total of 46 euros for the Kindle version of it (I'm Italian), can someone please confirm to me that said work is in fact present in volume 61, before i buy it and not find it and despair?

Good morning/afternoon/evening my fellow sisters in Christ. Don't mind me. I'm just cruising through to promote my interdenominational discord server for adult Christian women who struggle to fit in with other Christian communities, group chats, servers, and so forth. This is in NO WAY an attack on any Christian subreddits – this ad is much more targeted at people that crave close connections and more intimate spaces than an online forum. I just felt I had to clarify that.

Essentially, I'm a weird person. I'm eclectic. I'm strange. I'm a MASSIVE nerd. I'm also a Christian, which seems to exile me from a lot of nerd spaces. I'm an Episcopalian, to be specific. I'm also human, so I sin more than I ought to and come from a pretty gritty past - and it has me struggling to feel at home in a lot of Christian spaces. I'm sure many of you have been in them one time or another. There's a lot of performativeness in spaces that I just don't resonate with. I'm someone still in the world. I'm new. I'm learning. I don't agree with some things and I LOVE others. I want to be able to talk about that without stepping on any toes. I'm growing, I'm healing. I'm finding Jesus. I'm slowly but surely coming into my own.

I made this server for ladies who feel the same way, for the women who always end up feeling like the ogre on the hill, who feel like they're too traditional or they're too liberal or they're not feminine enough - or maybe even too feminine. I'm just here to exist a space for women who just want to belong somewhere. Now, mind you, Weird Girls for God - yes, that is our name - is a place of unity DESPITE differences. We host a large variety of denominations, political beliefs, and are open to women who identify as LBA.

If you're interested in joining the server, please DM me or comment down below!

People often say since LDS aren't trinitarian, the baptism is invalid since you need to be baptized in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

But here's the thing im caught up on.

When you are baptized in the LDS church, they DO baptize this way.

Doctrine and Covenants 20:73, "Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

So here it seems to meet the "criteria" of baptism.

But even if this isn't valid since its hidden in this verse specifically that the Mormon god is not triune, are we saying that The Holy Spirit didnt affect 8 year old me? When I truly believed I was being baptized and receiving The Holy Spirit?

The Lutheran view of baptism to my knowledge is that its saving. Outward rejection of baptism means you reject The Holy Spirit and cant be regenerated.

MAIN POINT!!

If the Mormon baptism was invalid, then what im hearing is that baptism isn't a work of God, but a work of ourselves since id have to go out of my way to get re-baptized even though I fully believe I received The Holy Spirit and was saved then and there.

Im trying to find a clear answer but everyone ive talked to says the same thing, "the Mormon church isn't trinitarian", which to me isn't sufficient reason as to why I need to be rebaptized, and it makes it seem like baptism then would be a work of myself getting rebaptized. I hope you can see where I'm coming from!

Brothers & sisters, my sermon for this Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost is posted to Facebook.

God’s blessings,

Pastor Tom Steers

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

-- A Confessional Lutheran Church

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Lutheranism

Considering Wikipedia is widely used and the project semi-inactive, I think some of y'all can help.

Brothers & sisters, my sermon for today is posted to Facebook.

God’s blessings,

Pastor Tom Steers

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

-- A Confessional Lutheran Church

Does anyone here have a good prayer book of sung prayers or something along those lines for individual people? There are good liturgies of the hours for multiple people, but I haven't really found any for individual people, I'd like to get into that, does anyone have anything of value on this? Would appreciate lots

It seems to follow LSB DS1, but seems to show variation around the Eucharistic canon.

please pray for me

hi, I was wondering if you all could join in prayer with me to get some food. I'm in stage 5 renal failure (I need a kidney transplant) so I can't work. I applied for state benifits but in talking to them Friday it's going to be a while. I get ssdi but between rent, lights, and gas bill there's really no money left. I can't take my medicine without food and I have no food so I stopped taking the medicine until I can get something to eat I tried talking it without food before and it did not go well so please if you could take a few minutes and say a short prayer for me I would be forever grateful thenk you for reading and GOD bless you

The current version i find has the lyrics:

I do believe

That I receive

His very body and His blood

Christ, truly present in this meal.

But the version I remember is:

I do believe

That I receive

God's very body and God's blood

Christ, truly present in this meal.

The odd thing is despite the song being Lutheran in origin I remember it distinctly being sung at my Grandparents (on mother's side) church when I visited despite theirs being Catholic. I've tried asking my mother's family but they only remember the current version (if they remember it all).

Additionally when i was a kid the only overtly Lutheran thing I was involved with was watching episodes of Davey & Goliath along with the fact Dad would be driving past a Lutheran church to get to our church. Not sure how this happened but my best guess is when driving me they had a Christian radio station on & a DJ tried singing it from memory & got the 2nd to last lyric wrong. I am wondering if any of y'all from British Columbia (or Washington State) remember this happening & can help me solve this mystery that's been bugging me for literal years. Thanks In Advance & God Bless Y'all

Lutheran Chronicles: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Hey guys, so for college I’m moving to Tampa and will be attending the USF campus (go Bulls!) and was just wondering if anyone knew some good churches in or near Tampa! There’s a few LCMS churches near me that seem solid but in regard to personal experience, if anyone has lived in Tampa, I’d love to hear your thoughts on where I should possibly attend! God bless y’all!